Kauri Cliffs GC New Zealand - Course Tour

[John Mayhugh]

Thanks for the photo tour.

The trees on the third hole are attractive, but really seem to look out of place with the rest of the landscape seeming so open.  Do they seem that way on the ground?

[George Freeman]

I like this view/angle a lot more than the first couple looks.

Thanks for the tour Michael!

[George Pazin]

...it looks a bit artificial to me.

In what way?

[Kevin Pallier]

The 5th hole is a long par 3 played over a chasm, to a green almost shaped like a "T" angled to the right. It is quite a heroic one shotter, especially when it is played into the wind like the day we played it. There are 3 deep bunkers located at the front of the green that need to be carried. It has one of the better greens, if not the best green on the course. You especially do not want to be above the hole, otherwise a very quick putt awaits. There is a spine that runs along the middle of the green (7 to 2 o clock) and it is important to be on the correct side. A back right pin is sure to test the best playes.

Michael

I reckon this is a great hole with a fantastic green. Well said - pity more dont know about it.

[Kevin Pallier]

The 6th hole is a medium length par 4 played up a very steep hill, to a pretty interesting green guarded by two front bunkers. It isn't one of the best holes on the course, but IMO it really depends on the tees you choose. It is thrilling to hit a tee shot from the blue tees over the chasm to the fairway, a forced carry of 200+ metres, but from the white tees (located much lower down the hill) it is quite a mundane tee shot. There is not real best angle of approach to the green. The second shot on the 6th is not visually inspiring, and it could have been so much better..maybe they could have raised the green a little more, taken out the mounds/trees behind and made it a skyline? Anyway..

Michael

Concur with your thoughts on this hole and it was the first of the bridge crossings - it must have cost a bucketload to build it.

[Grant Saunders]

Apologies for letting this thread slip for a bit. Some big work commitments and getting married kind of curtailed my free time for the last few weeks.

Sorry to discuss the 7th without you having reached it in your tour but I feel it and 5 are best talked about together.

Number 5 is a solid par 3, but for me, the similarities between it and the 7th undermine both of the holes. The 7th should be the stand out hole of the course with its location, heroic element and captivating views but, for me, having played the 5th only 2 holes prior the feeling of sameness detracts from the hole.

Likewise, having played the 5th and then reaching the 7th, a sense of deja vu creeps up on you as you recognise all the essential elements of the 5th hole are roughly repeated in front of you. Im not sure how the 2 holes could have been designed with greater variety based on the routing. Possibly the 5th hole could be played slightly shorter to an elevated green up to the left of its current location.

It would be nice to see some short grass extending up the left hand supporting form to allow a ball to be encouraged onto the green from that slope.

The 6th hole is as you have described, fairly straight forward and simply asks for 2 well struck shots as the key to solving the hole.

Interestingly, at one stage during construction I was talking with the project manager and he thought the hole would be better played form the current third tees. You can kind of make out what the hole would look like from your photo of the second.

Approach shot from the left hand rough. Note the striping of the fairways.

[Leo Barber]

Grant welcome back from the honeymoon and congratulations on your recent wedding - omitted that from the boomerang chat I note!!

Pup, lets get busy on the thread and get back over the Bombay Hills by Christmas. Kinloch, Kidnappers, Pram Beach, Arrowtown, Jacks Point, Millbrook, Oreti Sands await.  Russell is just dying to hear what you thought about Wairakei 

I really enjoyed my one and only trip to Kauri late last year and brought home to me that a wonderful golf experience is about a multitude of factors and not just the architecture.

Concur with much of the early comment.  With regards the opening holes - you look down them to views of islands and coast.  You tee off on turf the quality of your carpet.  I don't think these first couple of holes at Kauri are about architecture at all for many as they are still getting over the drive through the gates, the Paul Reid welcome and the exhilaration of the impending experience.

3 Tee shot did no justice to its second shot, 4 was okay for a hole carved out of a hillside and had some risk reward going on for the second.  Really enjoyed 5.  Required cock and balls (if I am allowed to say that).  6 was shades of gulf harbour.  Agree with Grant re 7.

Speaking of which........Pup.....No7.............

 


 

[Grant Saunders]

Bump

[Michael Taylor]

Sorry for the delay everyone, am planning a trip at the moment which is taking up some time.

On to the 7th..

7th hole: 201m Par 3 Index 10

The 7th hole is a long par 3 played over a massive chasm, to a squarish green guarded by 3 bunkers, one on the right and two short. The green has a bit of interest with a front right quadrant that is lower than the rest of the green. You could have some interesting putts on this green..

Tee shot



Close up



Don't be short!!



Looking back.



IMO a more exciting par 3 than the 5th, but not as strong from an architectural perpective. As Grant said earlier there really is too much of a similarity between the two holes, and the fact that only one hole seperates the two only makes you more aware of their likeness.

Also the obligatory photos of me (1st pic) and Kev (2nd pic) hitting our tee shots.

[Michael Taylor]

8th hole: 493m Par 5 Index 2

The 8th hole is a medium length par 5 that plays up a steep hill. The drive is bunkered on the right hand side, and that side offers the better angle into the narrow green. It would take two very long hits to reach this green in two. There is a bunker complex about 110m short of the green that forces you to play towards the left and have a crappy angle into the green, or to take it over or close and be rewarded with an easy pitch along the length of the green. There are two left hand greenside bunkers, and the approach plays longer than it looks. The green is a little two tiered affair, with the back tier sloping a little towards the left hand side.

Tee shot



2nd shot



Approach



Green front and side on.





The next hole, the 9th, is one of the most manufactured feeling holes I've ever played.

[Leo Barber]

Heres a short video of a trip to kauri with a few friends late last year.  I'm repeating myself but it really brought home to me that some times a golf course is more than just the architecture.  We flew from Paraparaumu that enjoys commercial connections with the world now thanks to Air NZs flights.  Enjoy


http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d7a45324d6a51784f54493d0d0a&blogview=true

[Mark Bourgeois]

My understanding is the trees were, uh, Kauri trees. Protected and there was some sort of issue IIRC with the resort's removal of a few of them. Their tees (as in pegs on which you put your ball) were made of "surplus."

Regarding the weather, on one of my rounds there two playing companions were in a buggy. On the first hole the wind blew the buggy off the left side of the fairway! Bit of a hogback. On that same hole the wind was blowing so hard the rain bouncing off my jacket sounded like popcorn popping -- until I realized it was sleet!

At that point the sleet converted to rain and my khaki trousers got drenched. I rued my "smart" packing job which let the rainjacket in the luggage but kept the trousers out.

My companions called over to me from just a few yards away. They were downwind. I wasn't even aware they were calling me but their gyrations caught my eye so I walked over. They thought they might head in for a little while -- after we finished the hole. Hearty lot, Kiwis. Most Yanks wouldn't have left the clubhouse bar -- it's a nice bar, too!

As we finish up on the 1st, miraculously the sleet / rain stopped. One of my companions, the CEO of Air New Zealand and an inveterate booster of NZ, smiled and called out, "Ah, the sunny North." For you nonlocals, this is common tourist-bureau phraseology. It's sort of been bored into the brains of Kiwis. "The Sunny North."

The wind however continued its remorseless attack. A sou'wester, come straight up from Antarctica, bore down on the resort.

From the 2nd tee, we continued on, soaked trousers and all. We played the 2nd, and as I walked off the green I looked down to notice my khakis. They were bone dry. Granted, it was a par 5, but still....

And though the wind never ceased, the sun did come out and I even felt so warm I removed my jacket! For a hole at least.

The following day the wind picked up, if that's possible. The radio was filled with reports of stranded skiers on the South Island and the ferries not running through Cook Strait due to 5 meter swells. I think the ferries not running the Strait is the equivalent of snow canceling school in Buffalo. It doesn't happen.

Sometimes I think I was "given" that round to bear witness. It's true: NZ really does have four seasons in a day. Will Rogers, Oklahomans: you are lying weather wimps. New Zealand is the place for "weather."

Amazingly, the country has no equivalent of The Weather Channel.

[Kevin Pallier]

Pup

The 7th is visually stunning - the first real taste of the location. I agree with Grant in that it loses some of it's appeal given that you play virtually the same P3 albeit two holes earlier. I aslo think the backdrop to the hole should have been shaved down rather than built up.

I wasn't enamoured by the 8th or 9th and I would be happy to take over posting the photos Pup if you dont have the time ?

[Kevin Pallier]

After a prolonged absence I have decided to finally finish this thread (apologies to my NZ friends for the long delay)  

[Kevin Pallier]

9th hole: 353m Par 4 Index 8

An uphill P4 back to the clubhouse from a well elevated tee. The gully in front of the tee is not really in play as from an elevated tee it’s around 170 to carry it. The fairway cants strongly right to left.



A massive bunker is situated in the DZ on the outside of the dogleg. Unfortunately, due to the weather my ball got stuck on the downslope.



The approach shot is into a deep green that has a false front. The bunkers long left and right look a little out of place. I’m not sure many balls would end up in them and the green has 3 tiers in it.



Looking back – I’m sure on a fine day the views would be superb

[Leo Barber]

Kevin

Great to see this has been picked back up.

Just looking at the picture of the 9th, it strikes me as land that probably wasn't suitable for golf but through modern construction techniques (and a decent budget no doubt) a hole has been etched into the landscape complete with the infrastructure via bridges and a suitable return to the clubhouse has been achieved.  I found 9 and 18 both holes that were almost neccessities for a return to base rather than great holes although each posed their own challenges and the resulting achievement when looking back down the hole seemed worth it.

[Kevin Pallier]

Leo

I agree - 9 & 18 have a "sameness" feel about them despite the later being a P5.

I'm not sure why the vegetation was planted beyond the bunker ? - it's not as though you cant miss the cart path...

[Josh Tarble]

Michael,

Thanks for resuming this thread. I found KC to be fantastic, just an amazing experience.

I though 8 was a really good par 5, especially from the tips. I loved the isolated tee and blind drive from there.

I also thought 9 was prettty good, definitely not the best. Hole on the course, but a good way to get back up to the clubhouse. I really liked the tiered fairway concept.  If anything I thought it was very similar to hole 6.

[Grant Saunders]

Kevin

Great to see this thread continuing on.

For me, the 9th (and 18th) serve function first with the main consideration returning the player back to the clubhouse. The clubhouse has been located to maximise the spectacular views which is understandable. It does however mean that using such a high point on the property that a compromise is reached and getting players back to there will involve an uphill jaunt at some stage.

As a hole, I think 9 is fairly solid when factoring in the need to deal with the elevation change. However, as with 5 and 7, the similarities between 9 and 18 tend to detract from each hole particularly given their positioning at the the end of each 9 holes.

One minor criticism based purely on aesthetics and visible in the first photo: I would have like to see the back left form of the green and bunker lowered. There is a really cool overall fall from left to right across the hole with the land tumbling nicely but for me that area goes against it a bit much.

[Kevin Pallier]

10th hole: 333m Par 4 Index 17

The course transitions down into a valley and creek area of the course. Actually, some of the holes on this land have chatracteristics of some of the better holes on the course.

The B9 starts with a severe elevation change from tee to green. Those that have played the 9th at Cruden Bay will understand the type of change I’m referring to.



The fairway progressively narrows and with a hazard left and behind the green it ensures an offline shot is punished. The right side has the most open approach to the green and entices one to pull their driver. Two bunkers right capture a drive that is slightly offline in that area.



The green itself has some subtle movement in it and I quite liked this hole. One can also see the onsite accommodation on the hillside.

[Ash Towe]

Kevin,

Good to see you finish this thread.

I think this stretch of 4-5 holes are the most interesting on the course. More options, more thinking but no sea views.

[Kevin Pallier]

11th hole: 385m Par 4 Index 7

Is one of the flatter holes on the course and could be improved IMO. The tee shot runs out at about 260m into marshland and ferns and vegetation left blocks the view of the wide fairway from the tee.




I think the hole could have been improved by putting a bunker into the LZ on the hill right almost forcing people to go left and thus a longer 2nd shot over the creek. This and the removal of the vegetation in front of the tee would improve the hole IMO.

There is a bunker fronting the green to which one cant see from the fairway and I’m not sure it is necessary anyhow ? A medium to long shot over the creek is enough a test in itself.







The green slopes predominately front to back.

[Kevin Pallier]

12th hole: 192m Par 3 Index 13

Is basically a long shot over the creek. IMO I think the trees could be cleared moreso on the right so that one can see the full green and its surrounds from the tee.



The green is quite shallow and is angled away from the tee with two distinct tiers in it